<p>My house has been used in a television program and back when people actually made movies and television in So Cal-- our small town had the reputation of being the most filmed community in the US. (60 commercials, tv programs and movies in one year-back in the day)</p>
<p>I never ever expected to identify with any of the characters or situations. Even when they were filmed in my own house.
Just because you live in Greenpoint it does not mean that Hannah’s life is all about you. I would not even assume that living there makes you the target audience.
I do identify with a character in the show. Though I lived in Hollywood (not NYC) in my 20’s, I did live a rather edgy lifestyle. Some of this stuff seems so dead on that a few weeks back one of my old “bad days” chums joked via a facebook posting that she was convinced that someone must have been following us in the early 80’s and sent them on to Ms. Dunham.</p>
<p>But it is about liberal arts graduates from privileged backgrounds. And the essay writer is such a young woman - exactly like Hannah in that respect. She is another kind of Hannah, right? And she even lives in Hannah’s neighborhood, which usually in tv is depicted to be something it’s not. Or else it’s a neighborhood that is many things. I thought using the neighborhood, frequently a tv setting, to sort of frame the essay (if I am correct about that) made it even more compelling. I thought using the setting in that way made an already wonderful essay even better. And I adored the final line “getting ourselves off the set”</p>
<p>I have to agree with you, musica. I actually feel that way about all tv shows. I never particularly identify with any character, even if it’s a character with many similarities to my life. It’s like my H watching The Good Wife, or any other law-related show, and although enjoying some aspects of it (mainly Kalinda!) but grumbling through most episodes about how utterly unrealistic the show is. I guess I’ve never really found the need to have a show portray something absolutely in tune with reality, and Girls is no exception. The writing, the acting, good character development, and believable story arcs are what is important to me. Some shows do it well, and others are so totally unbelievable, on all counts, as to be unwatchable. Smash comes to mind. ;)</p>
<p>edited to add that my comments were general, and unrelated to the essay by JHS’ daughter, which I read afterwards and thought was very good.</p>
<h1>99 JHS: no worries - anyone foolish and clueless enough to run that search probably deserves what they get and it was a pretty good early morning joke on myself.</h1>
<p>Your daughter is such a wonderful writer (apple falls not far from the tree and all that) and I enjoyed her take on the first episode so much. You must be so very justly proud of her. Thank you for sharing!! At this point, I pretty much think reaction to the show is more interesting than the show itself. And I am loving all the different reactions. </p>
<p>I know lots of young people being subvented by parents in various urban centers, including NYC - some who feel entitled to that support and some who are incredibly grateful. My own kids have been self-supporting for a few years now but that seems to me, as in most of child rearing/parenting results, more the result of a particularly fortuitous set of circumstances than anything else.</p>
<p>The funniest part to me in episode 1 was the mom who has been waiting on the vacation house and just isn’t going to wait any longer. I actually know a couple of those moms. With those daughters. And a husband who is caught in the middle.</p>
<p>I guess this is just inevitable. Recently I’ve had the opportunity to spend quite a lot of time with a group of new friends, in their mid-80 to mid-90s, who appear to be very sweet & proper little old ladies. The longer I know them the more free they are with their reminisces and gossip. I am pretty sure no one, of any generation, had a wilder youth than these women and lived to tell the tale. Also, a huge ongoing debate with them is whether it is worthwhile to still have a steady male companion. No consensus. A sometime male companion? - pretty clear consensus.</p>
<p>Not everything in Girls is exaggerated, and some things are actually toned down. A real Williamsburg party, at least the one you get to in a taxi with strangers after you have just stumbled out of some techno club on the Lower East Side at 4:00AM, is a place of utter chaos and madness. Every third person behaves like Shoshanna by 6:00AM. And they didn’t even show the after parties!</p>
<p>I watch Girls. I was first inerested to see how a person her age would be given permission to write , direct, act and produce. So it intriqued me. It has led to some dialoque with my D’s and their friends. I view it as people expressing the narcissism of the age. Sometimes, I look back at myself and cringe at what I thought and did. Its about growing. I am also tired of seeing her naked, and I have to admit me it makes me uncomfortable with some sex scenes too. Like the ones with Adam. I dont think she is racist, she shows the ambivalence that we all feel as the world is changing. Even if for the better. How the issue of race and how to deal with it is still there even if its not politically correct. I give her kudos for being authentic and agree that she should hire someone to write who could show this side. I think she is adorable but i dont like her clothes, dont think they are attractive or make her attractive. And although I agree we (my self included, an overweight woman) that we are too hung up on body image, i still think taste should prevail. yes and where does she get the money to live in NYC and who cares if her gay ex boyfriend got drunk and almost slept with marnie?</p>
<p>^. The etiquette for dating your best friend’s ex is everchanging and confusing. Once upon a time my very good college friend broke up with her boyfriend, began dating a new guy, and within a year was pregnant and planning her wedding. Her old boyfriend then asked me out. We dated for a month or so. When I told we were dating she never spoke to me again.</p>
<p>Watched a few episodes and must say I came away thoroughly depressed, but then again, I’m not in the target demographic. When I witnessed the nascent feminist movement in the 70s I would not have thought that those dreamers had this lifestyle in mind for the liberated daughters and granddaughters of the future: shallow, vapid, trying so hard to be the latest version of PC…well. Not my cup of tea. I suppose if the pleasure of watching Girls is on the order of “don’t let this happen to you”, then I guess it’s worthwhile for the schadenfreude value.</p>
<p>Is anyone still watching? The latest episode, “On All Fours” was upsetting and hard to watch. The second season has moved into some very dark places.</p>
<p>Didn’t enjoy last night, in fact hated it (Oh God, Adam is the worst character), but everyone else I know said it was the best ever, including Lena Dunham.</p>
<p>This interested me. Maybe it’s different with boys. One of my son’s best male friends in college took up with my son’s ex-girlfriend about six months after son broke up with the ex. Not only did son not mind, he was genuinely thrilled, since it let him be friends with her again without feeling guilty about the breakup. (Most of the time. Once, when she and her boyfriend were visiting him at our house, there was a whole dinnertable conversation about what a jerk he had been to her.)</p>
<p>One of MY roommates in college wound up involved for three years with a girl on whom I had a fairly massive crush that long predated their relationship. She met him when he and I became roommates as sophomores (I was pretty good luck for him – his other college girlfriend was my high school girlfriend’s best friend), and they didn’t get involved for another year after that. By the time they got together, I had pretty much reconciled to the fact that she didn’t like me the way I liked her, and we had a perfectly good friendship that continues to this day (more or less). I always felt a little jealous of him, of course, something he took care to acknowledge and respect (as did she, for that matter). But I could hardly blame him for having approximately the same opinion of her that I did, or her for liking him only a bit more than I liked him. It was her choice with whom to get involved. I never felt he betrayed me in any way.</p>
<p>Another friend married an ex-girlfriend of his brother’s, and I never sensed it was a problem for the brother. And one of my sisters-in-law married a man who had been her first husband’s best friend. The two men definitely remained friends, although not such close ones because the ex-husband had moved a few thousand miles away after the split.</p>
<p>None of these situations involved dishonesty or cheating during the first relationship, at least not by the woman. It would probably be a very different story if she had cheated on man #1 with man #2 (or even with some completely different person), or if she had otherwise been evil and hurtful to man #1.</p>
<p>Yes, still watching. Daughter is an alumna of Oberlin in same time frame as Lena Dunham so… I like it, mostly. Even though difficult to watch. I feel like she’s very honest, contributing to the train-wrecky atmosphere. But the writing/directing? Pretty awesome.
Sent from qtmy DRn thoOID X2 using</p>
<p>This season is definitely more dark than season 1 and I’m not sure I like it as much. It has gone from “trying to find myself awkward” to “seriously disturbed.” This doesn’t seem to be who Hannah was last season. It doesn’t feel as “real” to me anymore. Is it trying so hard to be edgy that it went over the edge?</p>
<p>didn’t care for the tone and darkness of this episode. It was like Dunham pulled the bandaid off each character exposing all their oozing sores.
Quirkiness went off the rails into diagnosable scary, dark places. I messages my daughter " Girls is dark tonight" </p>
<p>I expected something different after reading Dunham’s tweet yesterday---- @lenadunham: Tonight’s ep of @girlsHBO is my favorite ever. And an important aspect of that is Shoshanna’s donut-shaped hairstyle. But also emotions!</p>
<p>Today she tweeted:
“If all I’ve done on this earth is scare you out of using Q tips, I will die a happy and purposeful woman”</p>
<p>next weeks finale will be very interesting…!</p>
And they didn’t even show the after parties!</p>